New Zealand Part 1

Arriving in Christchurch felt much like home and I wasn't too sure how to feel about that. When I was taking the bus into town from the airport, the first thing I noticed were the houses. They look like any old house that you would see in Canada. It’s now new. It’s not different. And I guess I got used to diversity to a point of needing it to to satisfy my wanderlust?

Maybe it was just the realization of leaving Bali and my dreamy life there. I think it was a good balance for me. I felt like there were a lot of dissimilarities that made it feel like I was traveling in a foreign land yet it had all the amenities (such as toilet paper) for me to feel comfortable...but not TOO comfortable.

The seashell wrapped in a little net that I purchased in Pai, Thailand at the beginning of my trip fell off my ankle literally minutes after arriving in NZ. A couple hours later, the seashell ring I had made myself also released itself off my finger...metaphors signaling a new phase.

I got myself comfy cozy in my seat for the flight from Denpasar, Bali to Sydney, Australia. I thought I was going to have the whole row to myself when ‘REALLY drunk Australian guy’ plopped himself down beside me. He was well aware how drunk he was, and kept apologizing in between telling me about how much he loved his wife but sounded like he had a bit too much fun with the ladies in Bali. Ugh! After I had politely told him that I really just wanted to go to sleep, he proceeded to babble on. His friend across the aisle finally gave him a firm talking to and he passed out cold for the duration of the flight. Yes!

Little did I know that this was just the beginning of a hullabaloo of a journey ahead of me.

Our plane landed in Sydney, Australia about 6 hours later in the wee hours of the morning. We then sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes before we were offloaded. I then had to sprint to get to my next flight leaving within 10 minutes. When I arrived, I got serious attitude from the Quantas agent because he had paged me 'several' times. Um...dude – I was on a plane! I ignored his prissiness. He then asked me to show him my onward ticket from NZ. What? Onward ticket? Why would I have one of those? I am a fly by the seat of my pants backpacker? How am I supposed to know where I am going after NZ? That could be days or even years away?

I was unable to produce said ticket. So he told me to wait until someone was available to escort me back through security while he radioed the baggage people to ‘offload’ my luggage (of which I am sure had not even arrived from the other plane yet). I stood there feeling like a complete ASS for not knowing that I needed this documentation to enter the country. Being a member of the commonwealth, I wasn’t so particular about researching this type of stuff as I was within Asian countries. Aren’t we all friends here?

The Quantas lady escorted me out of security. She told me I would have to purchase an onward ticket out of NZ as well as book another flight into Christchurch. This was really....upsetting. We were almost to the baggage department when she asked me if I had an Australian visa, to which I replied, 'no'. She told me to have a seat while she went to talk privately on her radio. Things were either looking hopeful or desperate at that point. I glanced at her to see if I could read her body language...am I going to jail or hopping the next plane to Christchurch?

She came back over and walked me in the opposite direction to the transit desk to my friend Drew. This guy needs to have a reality TV show all his own.

Apparently, Jetstar could incur a $5000 fine for letting me board the plane in Indonesia without checking to see if I had an onward ticket. Now I was in Australia illegally without a visa or a flight out of there. This was now an immigration issue and their problem, not mine. Drew made some calls and put it to them straight – he told me he doesn’t 'take any BS from these people', as he sat with his arms folded behind his head and chest puffed out – they can either pay for my $300 flight or the $5000 fine. Their choice. Within minutes I was booking a 'refundable' flight back to Vancouver so I could continue on my way (I refunded it later when I got to NZ but with the currency conversion, I lost $500 CDN..I could have spent a week in Fiji for that!).

During this process, Drew bought me a coffee and entertained me until my flight to Auckland. It took 2.5 hours to get there arriving 2 hours before the next flight was to leave for Christchurch. In that time I tried to rent a car and locate my baggage to see if I could just stay in Auckland and drive to Whakatane myself instead of flying all the way down to Christchurch on the South Island and then all the way back up to Rotorua on the North Island, where Tash was to pick me up. In the end, I was told my baggage was en route to Christchurch from Sydney already and there were NO rental cars available for neither that night OR the next day. And so the journey to Christchurch continued..

Teeny Little Update!

Well hello there! My apologies for being stupendously tardy with the blogging, but I will resume reporting the rest of the adventures when time permits - most likely on the plane to NZ (which will be fitting as my next installment is of the Shaky Isles)!?

So I just wanted to touch base with a little update to let you all know the things and stuff that are going on. I hope to see some of you in AB and SK this summer as well as in NZ at the exhibition (and there's also a slight chance I will be in Bali mid June to July as well)!


EXPOSURE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS - 'Streets' and 'Salon'


I have 2 exhibitions coming up at Exposure Gallery here in Vancouver.

Their are 2 images in the 'Streets' exhibition tonight - the show starts at 8 PM. I am also volunteering at the gallery on Saturday from 12-5. So if you miss tonight, you can pop in for a visit tomorrow!

Also, I will have 4 images in their next exhibition called, 'Salon', starting June 19th, but won't be able to attend that one as I will still be abroad at that time. I will send out a facebook invite soon.

http://www.exposuregallery.ca


ENCOMPASS - A Photo Book


I FINALLY finished putting a photobook together entitled, 'Encompass'. It is 120 pages and includes photos from NY, Hawaii, Saskatchewan, SE Asia and New Zealand. You can take a preview of it here: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/682406.

View it in Full Screen! Many of you were thanked under the acknowledgments:)

It was put together to sell at the exhibition in NZ.


NEW YORK PHOTO FESTIVAL


I just returned from the New York Photo Festival. It was a glorious week of seminars, lectures, photo exhibits, book launches and reuniting with friends met in SE Asia. Rosie and Duncan (from UK) who I met in Malaysia, Cait (from NY) who I met in Thailand and Carolina and Rodrigo (from NY) who I met in Vietnam, were all there to catch up with when I wasn't attending the festivities.

A lot of great things came out of going that I will save for a posting down the road - for now I will say that the trip was absolutely a worthwhile jaunt:)


AUCKLAND PHOTO FESTIVAL, NEW ZEALAND - 'In Transit'


I leave for Auckland next Friday, May 29th. The opening is on June 6th at 2 PM and runs through to June 18th. I am amped for this one! My friend Cait's old roomies have graciously offered up their home in St. Helier's Bay for me to stay at during the length of the exhibit. Having known the starving artist experience for awhile now, I am so thankful and over the moon grateful for their hospitality:)

See promo here in D-Photo Magazine.


CAMROSE ARTWALK
I am exhibiting at both Artwalks in Camrose, Alberta at Ronda Shott Photography! Big thanks and love to my mom for helping not only to fund the printing and framing but also in putting it all together and to Ronda for letting me use her studio as an exhibit venue! The dates are from June 5th-July 15th and July 20th-August 28th. Those in the area can drop in anytime during business hours.


ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN VISIT!!

I will be shooting a friend's wedding in Jasper, AB on July 15th and then my cousin's wedding in Saskatoon, SK on July 25th, so I will be in those areas for a couple of weeks at least. Let me know if you want to get together and we can start to make a plan now. Also, if anyone would like to book in some portraits (family, baby, wedding) while I am there, let me know!

Thanks so much for supporting and encouraging me along the way - it really is what keeps the mojo running and means the world to me!

Tracey

Ripcurling Cosmos and Highlights

I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list.

- Susan Sontag


"When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don't know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in..."

- D.H. Lawrence

See photos of Surfing Kuta and Rip Curl Pro Search

See photos of Last Days of Bali...



We were all very happy to get back to Kuta the next day...or more rather, the surfing, beach and nightlife! That night, we went for dinner at our usual place and then to Ocean Beach for the FREE FLOW – free flow is 2 hours of free drinks...not of the watered down variety - very popular! Marj and I danced ourselves into a frenzy, as we always did. I don't think I have ever had so much cardio what with all the surf days and boogie nights. We called it an early night so we could get a good surf day in before Marj left.

The next eve, Julien got some snacks and drinks and we had a floor picnic at d'Kubu to say goodbye to Marj. We went out for dinner and then to Paddy’s, a nightclub on Legian Street for one last night together. The 6 of us danced, took pics of each other, made fun and hung out. Marj and I went off to the Bounty later in the evening and danced til our heart's content.

We shared one last banana pancake together the next morning before she left and said our goodbyes. I wondered when I would see her again and what this leg of my journey would have been like without her. Marj and I had created a real female bond, one I had been lacking in my life and made stronger by our love for surfing, eating, drinking tea over endless conversation, dancing several consecutive hours until reaching complete exhaustion, traveling together and sharing the same digs for most of the previous 2 months in Bali. There have been many amazing things to come out of this journey, but the friendships made along the way, will be embedded in my mind and heart for years to come.



But as they say, every exit is an entry to something new. Lindsay, my extremely tall, provocative, outspoken, rambunctious, fabulously good looking friend arrived a few days later to continue on with the surf/dance debauchery. Lindsay is a writer, so we are collaborating on a contribution to Geist magazine using my photos and her scribblings from Bali! See her website here: http://lindsaydiehl.com.

On August 1 – I caught the biggest wave YET! This feeling is one that is difficult to put into words. It happens so quickly but the high remains for days, making you crave bigger and better waves. It is not hard to see why surfing becomes so addictive and has officially been declared a religion.

At night, I would lie awake and could still feel the momentum of the waves rocking me back and forth until falling into a deep slumber. Gliding along on the ocean's memory is understanding the power of nature, a catalyst in experiencing a unity with the universe and being totally immersed in the moment while everything else disappears around you.

I got a tattoo 7 years ago - a Celtic swirl, meaning, 'To rise above the material world and become one with the cosmos." I didn't know it then, but this would be the most accurate description of what the act of surfing means to me now.

Please read 'West of Jesus: Surfing, Science and the Origin of Belief' by Steven Kotler. Surfer or not, if you are the slight bit interested in science or religion, you will be more than enlightened and entertained.

Ernesto was always around to give me his constructive feedback – 'you look like a gorilla when you surf!' He was always after me to keep my hands up but I always had them flailing below me. I was just excited to stay on my board and graduate from surfing whitewash to REAL waves!

There were also days when I questioned whether I belonged on a board or not. I suffered numerous accidents and injuries while surfing as well: a broken finger, water in my ear canal, bruises, scratches, near drownings, collisions with other boards and my own, scrapes, broken leashes etc. These are the moments when you are reminded of who the boss is. But you keep getting back on the board despite the bad days you might have because it's all forgotten once you get back up again. And you always can get back up again.

Dan made his way back to Bali so we got to catch a few more sunrises and dances together. I was so happy to see him again – was sort of like seeing an old, familiar friend after having so many fleeting friendships on the traveling circuit.

As my flight to NZ drew closer, that feeling crept up on me - sort of like when you started seeing the back to school commercials on TV signifying that summer would be over soon. I knew inevitably that I would have to move on but it was going to be really hard to bid that charmed life adieu.

Ernesto, Rikkard and I took in some of the Rip Curl Pro Search at Padang Padang. The likes of Kelly Slater and Andy Irons were competing, but it was Bruce Irons, Andy's little brother, who claimed the trophy. There was some nice looking glass there - I had some serious lens envy and dreamed of what it might be like to couple my photography with surfing someday - ahhh a girl can dream.


Padang Padang is near Uluwatu, a famous temple, dedicated to the spirits of the sea, and known for the monkeys hanging about. Ernesto and I explored the temple which looms 70 meters above the Indian Ocean, and enjoyed the seascape. I avoided the monkeys this time around after my near death encounter at the monkey sanctuary!

SIDESTORY (you may not relate to this if you're male, but the females out there will! There was also a funny bikini waxing incident - funny NOW but not so funny at the time and not really fitting for a public blog):

I must mention doing one of the stupidest things I had done in Asia yet – I got my hair highlighted! I had been wanting to do it since I came to Bali and kept putting it off because I was afraid of what they might do to me . I was just going to go to Gloria Jean's to edit photos as I did every morning. I walked by one salon and resisted and then the next one, but the next had 3 extremely friendly ladies in front that said hello to me. They lured me in and had me sit down...and once you are sitting – well good luck getting out of there!

Perhaps deep down I knew it could end really bad but I had a small flicker of hope that it just might turn out ok. No more risky than getting my hair cut in Cambodia – which turned out a little lop sided but better than I thought!

After about 10 minutes of highlighting, she asked me if that was ‘good’? Ummmm....she had highlighted about 5 pieces and we had agreed on all over highlights. This scenario replayed itself several times with me having to ask her to add more. She of course then had to mention that 100,000 rupiah is very 'cheap cheap' for what I wanted. This is when I knew things were not going to end happily, for either party.

When going to the salon at home, I look forward to kicking back with a coffee and a magazine and listening to cool tunes....this was just plain stressful and SCARY.

When she washed it out and I sat down in front of the mirror, I kept my eyes closed for a long time, imagining the worst, so that perhaps the reality would then seem not quite so bad. It didn’t work. I opened my eyes to sheer horror. This was the most ungodly orange colour I had ever laid eyes on.





I asked her to shut off the hairdryer, moved ahead in my seat and all that I could say was, ‘IT'S ORANGE!’. I followed that up with, ‘It looks....awful!’ I pointed to the lady on the poster with the beautiful ash blonde hair and asked if my hair looked anything like that? She of course had the upper hand because she replied in Balinese again and I had no idea what she said, therefore could not come up with any kind of response that would mean anything. She then grabbed one of the foils and shook it in my face while I assume saying some not so nice things to me. She was PISSED. But so was I! I again had to remind myself, ‘T.I.A.!’ ...'This is Asia’. I made a motion to get out of my chair and she put her hand on the handle of the door and placed her body firmly in front. Apparently, I wasn’t going ANYWHERE.

She phoned her boss and went OFF on the phone. I then asked to speak to her boss who was surprisingly very apologetic and suggested I pay half – I agreed, threw the bill on the counter and hightailed it out of there!

As with all of my stories about previous conflicts with the locals, it's not the money, it's the principal! I went straight to my guest house and wrapped my hair in scarves until I could get my hands on some dye – another lesson learned in SE Asia (the hard way)!

Lindsay, Ernesto, Rikkard and his lovely and beautiful Balinese girlfriend, Ratih and I went out for dinner before my departure. Julien and Tom had left a few days prior and we were the only ones left. Ernesto walked me to Legian to hail a cab so I could catch an overnight flight to Sydney, Australia.

I said goodbye to Ernesto - one of the sweetest, most considerate, completely chivalrous, intelligent and passionate males I have ever met. He restored my faith that their are some good guys out there and I feel so lucky to have met him.

Farewell to warm waves, cheap food, boogie nights, beachy days, living in a bathing suit and sarrong, being surrounded by flowers, art and new friends...heaven on earth. I was upset, but so grateful to have been given this gift. I looked forward to what adventures would lie before me on the Shaky Isles...goodbye to my new friends and hello to a new country, climate and old friends.


I think that wherever your journey takes you, there are new gods waiting there, with divine patience -- and laughter.

- Susan M. Watkins

Boat Trip Day 3 and 4

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart."

-Helen Keller



See photos from Boat Trip:

Boat Trip Day 3

Boat Trip Day 4


Day 3

We docked at a small island and hiked up the top of the mountain. It took some time getting used to the overwhelming beauty that lay before us. The mountains poking out of turquoise waters and clear blue skies serving as a backdrop to the stunning ocean scape that beckoned our eyeballs!

Much time was spent taking in the view until again we were torn away to go back to the boat.

Our next stop was Komodo National Park. We were told that no tourists had been killed by Komodo Dragons since the 70s but a villager was killed only a month prior. Was this supposed to be comforting?

We did our small hike around the island and no sign of Komodos but were told that we may have better luck at the next island – Rinca. We were really excited to find public restrooms with real toilets and running water. This was the first time any of us had seen ourselves in the mirror. I have to say, it was quite freeing not having a reflection of yourself to deal with – an excellent excuse to be au naturel and we were all in the 'same boat'.


Back on the boat, we made our way into a little cove just in time to watch the sun set behind the the large mounds surrounding us. Marj and I took this as an opportunity to go swimming. We were told to do so at our own risk as there is always a chance that Jaws could be lurking beneath. The water was deep and we were quite literally in the middle of nowhere but it was so much fun that we had little time to worry about it. I love Marj for always bringing out the little girl in me!


Day 4

I woke up the next morning and watched the sun rise. The sea was rough and the wind whipping. My hair blew all over my face and I laid their on the deck peering out to sea in complete bliss before anyone else awoke. I love being near, in or on the ocean and the experiences with her on this trip had been deep and memorable..I counted my many blessings. I thought of my mom and dad a lot on that boat because I was there only because of their unending support.

We were called to breakfast (banana fritters!) and set off for a hike around Rinca Island where we got a healthy dose of Komodo Dragons seriously getting down with their bad selves! Even if we hadn’t seen them, the island itself was uniquely beautiful – a landscape that I could not liken to any other.

Komodo Island National Park, a World Heritage Site, is 200 nautical miles east of Bali and is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, all of which are part of Nusa Tenggara. About 3 to 5,000 Komodo dragons live on the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores. The species is in endangered status due to a lack of females for reproduction, human encroachment, natural disasters and of course poaching.

Komodos can live up to 50 years. The first 5 years of their lives are spent high up in a tree where their mother cares for them - after that they are on their own, spending most of their time solitary, until mating season arrives. Males outnumber females 4 to 1 (sounds much like Kuta!)...so come mating season - the women look a little worse for wear.

Komodos lie in wait for their prey camouflaged in the grass. When the unlucky victim wanders by, the dragon flings its serrated teeth and sharp claws at its prey. If its prey escapes, its luck will run out within about 24 hours for it is not the bite that will kill them but the saliva, which has over 50 strains of bacteria. Komodos will follow their dying prey for miles until blood poisoning sets in.

A Komodo dragon can eat up to 80 percent of its body weight in a single feeding and males can measure up to 9 feet and weigh 550 pounds after a hefty meal.

Marj and I spent most of the rest of the afternoon under the sea in a plethora of multi-coloured sea life. Our interests are so similar it makes it ridiculously easy to have fun with her. If you are ever in need of constant giggling and high spirits – Marj is your go to girl!

We got to Flores, our final destination, in the late afternoon and set out to find accommodations. Even though the situation had grown more favourable due to the boat being in the harbour without the wind, constant yammering of the boat engine and random wave spilling over us, none of us were too keen to sleep on deck again.

Despite its name, Flores was not what I had hoped. It reminded me of the Asia I dislike – the garbage. The concept of putting garbage in a receptacle just isn't a high priority. Their was only a handful of guest houses to choose from and after walking around for almost 3 hours, we accepted defeat and looked forward to another FIRM sleep on old faithful!

Our disappointment was offset by a having a nice little dinner together filled with laughter and chattering. Ernesto tried to teach Marj and I ze French accent – frustrating for Ernesto, funny for us! It warmed my heart to be part of this little group. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt this happy.


The sleep was not surprisingly much deeper when the boat was still, and we were awoken at 5:30 AM by the crew. On the bright side, this was prime picture taking time and I took full advantage of it.

We had breakfast and got transport out to the hotel that we booked the night before which was out of town. We watched the sunset and took photos of the fishermen on the beach that night and all the kids running amok. I had to take a moment to remind myself how lucky I am to have had this experience. I thought of what I would be doing in Vancouver at that moment....and didn’t miss that life one teensy smidgen of a little tiny bit.

"Travelling is like flirting with life. It's like saying, 'I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.'"

-Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

Ro and Dunc Visit, Marj Returns, the Gillis and the Boat Trip!

...life is short and the world is wide.

- Simon Raven

Click below to view photo albums:

Ro and Dunc Visit, Marj Returns and the Gilli Islands

Boat Trip Day 1 and 2


Ro and Dunc Visit

Rosie and Duncan, the couple I had met in the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia, had arrived in Indonesia and popped down to Kuta from Ubud for a little overnight visit. They met me at d'Kubu for lunch and Duncan delivered another one of his CLASSIC phrases!

He had gone to look for a guest house while Rosie and I finished up lunch. When he came back, he looked quite traumatized and serious, caught his breath and announced, 'I have seen some THINGS...!!'. Rosie and I thought he had come upon an extra especially dirty guest house? But alas, it was more traumatizing than that. Many of you may know that when dogs mate sometimes well, things get...stuck. For someone who has not seen or heard of this – it can be a confusing scene.

It went something like this - Duncan was walking down one of the Poppies Lanes when he heard a surfer let out a dramatic, disgusted, 'Duuuuuuuuuuude!'. Duncan turned to see what dude was 'Duuuuuuuuude-ing' about and it was 2 dogs running awkwardly stuck together seemingly trying to disengage...I can only picture this in my head and what I see is not pretty!

We spent a good deal of time trying to figure out how this situation came about. Being a cat owner all my life, I had no idea what had gone on, but have since gained the knowledge - I am sure many of you know. For those that don't, here is a more detailed explanation (warning: it is a very detailed and graphical explanation): http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Do-Dogs-Get-Stuck-Together-When-Breeding?&id=1872658

The three of us caught up on our travels since we last saw each other in Malaysia and spent the afternoon cruising around Kuta and later watching the sunset at the beach. That night, I took them to Ocean Beach for dinner where we met up with some other friends from the UK they had met prior. We got a great table with cozy cushions and watched a couple of the nightly shows that Ocean Beach puts on – traditional Balinese dancing, fire shows, hip hop, gymnasts etc. After watching the spectacle, we carried on to the usual places – Poppy's, The Bounty and finished off the night dancing at Sky Garden.

The next day, I learned that Marj would be returning from Thailand! This had not been in her original plan so I was surprised and delighted to hear the news. I sadly said goodbye to Rosie and Duncan with hopes of seeing them in Australia or New Zealand, as we were all going to be settling in one of the two places eventually.

Marj Returns

When Marj arrived back to d'Kubu the next day, we went for dinner and caught up on all the happenings over tuna steaks and cokes! We went out and met Levi and Murray and their friends at Sky Garden and danced like crazy women, followed by more crazy women dancing at Paddy’s and Bounty into the wee early morning hours - another STELLAR night.

"We should consider every day lost in which we do not Dance at least once." - Nietzsche

We decided we would meet the Belgians (Ernesto, Julien and Tom) at Gili Trawangan, where they had gone the day before. We booked our flights and went to the beach in the late aft for sunrise...as we always did, then to Sky Garden for espresso drinking and emailing friends and family..I know it sounds lame but somehow Marj and I had oodles of fun just doing nothing.

Gili Trawangan

The next morning we flew off to the Gillis! The views were stunning - white billowy clouds and a volcano looming in the background. We landed in the Lombok airport but then had to take a taxi to the ferry, which would take us to Gilli Trawangan. Things got a little ugly here, but I won't go into details – no different than any other trip in SE Asia – someone always wanting to 'take you for a ride'!


Marj and I found a guest house and went straight to the beach. The currents there are really strong, so you could float a mile down the beach without swimming – kinda dangerous, but supah fun! Tom started talking about a boat trip they were thinking of taking that included Komodo island and asked if we would join them. Marj and I were up for anything – we both wanted to see more of Indonesia and she especially wanted to see the 'Red Beach', so we booked the tickets that night to leave early the next morning.


Ernesto, Julien, Marj and I walked to the end of the island to watch the sunset and took many photos – we were like a little camera club. Another beautiful Asian sunset shared amongst international friends.

We went off to have a fresh seafood buffet at a laid back restaurant just off the beach – where you could sit on cushions and just chill. The 5 of us had many laughs and shared many stories. I went to bed very excited for what was to come. Unfortunately, Marj and I were kept awake most of the night by loud chanting (was a Muslim holiday) into a megaphone and then a rooster cock-a-doodle-dooing at our front door (T.IA. - This Is Asia)...


The Boat Trip

We met the boys in the morning at the boats to head back over to Lombock and then to the capital of the island, Mataram. We got groceries for the boat and bought our plane tickets to fly back from Flores – our final destination (and found out later that we were each overcharged $50!).

We finally arrived to our home/boat for the next 4 days. This was no luxury boat my friends. It had a common area/deck and above the kitchen was another deck that had a canopy over it – the sleeping area. The only privacy anyone could have was in the bathroom, which was basically a hole in the floor with an enclosure around it. There was no shower, no soap, no faucet, no mattresses, no fresh water. None of this bothered me however I wasn’t too keen on the probability of looking like a hairy mammoth by the end of the trip!

We all sat a little dumbfounded on the deck trying to absorb that this was going to be where we were living for the next 96 hours and that we better well learn to like it if we didn't yet! And then we set forth out into the 'mighty ocean' (as said by the Mango on Saturday Night Live). The 5 of us hit the front of the boat and took many a photo for there was little else to do!


That night, we thought we would sleep on the bottom deck, while everyone else slept on the top deck. There wasn’t a lot of room upstairs so we thought this was a good idea. It wasn’t. Because we were travelling through the night on rough waters, Marj, who was closest to the bow was getting splashed by each tall wave we encountered and had to move to the top at some point in the middle of the night. We were all a little worse for the wear after our first night at sea but each of us was slowly getting our sea legs.

That day, we docked at a magnificent, isolated island and hiked to a waterfall. Ernesto, Marj and I climbed to the top of it and found a pool of freshwater to go swimming in. Ernesto took pics of us posing and swimming until we got called back to the boat. I could have spent the entire day there. The water temperature was perfect and the pond was surrounded by lush greenery with little sparks of sunlight darting though.

We spent most of the rest of the day travelling to get to Komodo Island with a stop at a huge saltwater lake. Marj and I were a couple of jellyfish for almost an hour giggling, talking shit and telling secrets – it's what we do! It is so amazing to have a friend like Marj who is totally in the moment with you and offers unending support, no matter what.

I made myself at home at the front of the boat with my book and some tea when we got back. Ernesto came and joined me and soon enough we were both asleep in the sun.... until a huge wave came and splashed over us filling our temporary makeshift sleeping sanctuary into a shallow pool. Ernesto laughed very heartily at me as I had not a dry spot on me! It was at this point that I felt what seasick was like but recovered after watching the sea's horizon for awhile. Everybody either read or took naps that whole afternoon.

That night, we all had dinner on the deck – all of us sitting in a circle surrounding the food under a full moon! I wondered where on the Indian Ocean we were and then decided that it didn't matter. There was no other place I would rather be.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

Bali-mania!

“And suddenly, out there where a big smoker lifts skyward, rising like a sea-god from out of the welter of spume and churning white, on the giddy, toppling, overhanging and downfalling, precarious crest appears the dark head of a man. Swiftly he rises through the rushing white. His black shoulders, his chest, his loins, his limbs -- all is abruptly projected on one's vision. Where but the moment before was only the wide desolation and invincible roar, is now a man, erect, full-statured, not struggling frantically in that wild movement, not buried and crushed and buffeted by those mighty monsters, but standing above them all, calm and superb, poised on the giddy summit, his feet buried in the churning foam, the salt smoke rising to his knees, and all the rest of him in the free air and flashing sunlight, and he is flying through the air, flying forward, flying fast as the surge on which he stands. He is a Mercury -- a brown Mercury.....”

Jack London
The Cruise of the Snark
Chapter VI - A Royal Sport

To view photos from around Kuta, click here.

To view photos from our day trip, click here.

Marj and I arrived back in Kuta and continued our everyday pilgrimage to Kuta Beach to practice our new craft and meet up with our friend Dan!

Despite our surf school being well esteemed, whenever the surf instructors had a moment to spare, they were asking us out to dinner, if we were married... boyfriends?? We lied. One said he could ‘teach me how to surf’ later in the day 'pro bono', when the waves were more ‘optimal’ – oh how nice of him. Another said he could get me a good deal with his cousin on renting a surfboard if I agreed to lunch with him.....hmmmmm – is that a bribe? Every Western girl that comes within a 5 foot radius is a moving target.

Marj and I were walking home from dinner one night and a guy on a moto with a helmet driving towards us came within an inch of both of us and hit poor Marjie on the boob! A few days later, I was walking home and the same thing ALMOST happened but I jumped out of the way. The worst of it was that you couldn’t see their faces, so really they could just go around hit and running and no one would ever be able to identify them – a guy with a helmet on a moto – their are thousands!

We settled into our little guesthouse, again – the only time we really spent there was to change or to sleep - but nonetheless, it was always nice to go back. Our neighbours consisted of:

• 2 surfers from Germany, properly tattooed that enjoyed the nightlife Kuta had to offer even more so than the surfing – we had many good times with these 2 – they knew how to rip it up be it on a board or a dance floor.

• Paul, originally from the states but had lived in Germany a good portion of his life, divided his time working construction in Perth, Australia and surfing in Bali. The likes of Jimi Hendrix, Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine could be heard blasting through his speakers while he chilled on his front doorstep with his surfboard always close by and beer in hand. He had long black dreads that suited him perfectly but surprisingly still looked like the crazy rock n' roll surfer we all knew and loved when he shaved them off. The words 'Endless Summer' tattooed across his chest spoke volumes about Paul. This guy knew how to enjoy life and I was elated to have him as my next door neighbour.

• Didier, a retired cook from France, now lives part of the year in Bali and the other in Thailand. His days were occupied by writing a book and we saw him for dinner every night at 8 PM sharp, usually followed by dancing and people watching at Poppy's Nightclub

• I had met Levi, a girl from London, UK, at the beginning of my travels in Northern Thailand. We had gone on a jungle trek and overnighted with a hill tribe, both fresh from quitting our jobs back home, enchanted by the unknown adventures that would lie ahead for us. We bumped into each other in Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam and now here we were again, staying in the same guesthouse. Levi had met Murray, also from the UK, in her travels who was an avid surfer and so the two of them could usually be found in the surf or on the beach!

• Rikard, from Sweden, blessed us with his habitation in between visiting his beautiful Balinese girlfriend, Ratih, in Ubud. He is the epitome of the typical strapping Scandinavian. His presence was always palpable with brooding shoulders and an underlying gentle pride and strength that reminded me of the men in my family and made me miss and think of them often.

• And last but by far not least, Ernesto. I stopped dead in my tracks the first time I saw him standing there with sun bleached hair falling over his dark blue eyes, talking to Didier in the pathway at d'Kubu. I of course pretended I didn't notice his ridiculous good looks but as soon as I had a moment alone with Marj, I affectionately referred to him, in jest, as my 'new boyfriend' (particularly amusing considering my long running status as a loner)!
  

Ernesto is an unassuming doctor from Belgium of Italian and Hungarian decent. His love for surfing was so passionate that he had turned down several of our invitations to go dancing so he could be up early to hit the surf. But finally one night, he met us at our favourite pre-Legian street club, Ocean Beach. This was the night Marj was leaving to go to Thailand to meet a friend (I was very sad) but the beginning of Ernesto and I's friendship.

After Marj left, Ernesto ensured that I was always included in coming for dinner each evening with him and the boys. The boys originally consisted of just Rikkard and Didier, but 2 new additions were about to arrive – Julien and Tom – 2 of Ernesto's closest friends from Belgium. And so it began...a new chapter for me in Bali – a Marj-less chapter but a fabulous one, nonetheless.

Julien spent most of his time on the beach soaking in the warm Bali sun. He was our age as well and had the most gentle disposition I have seen in anyone I know. Julien also had not spoken English in over a decade. So needless to say, there was many a miscommunication within our little group. Julien is one of those people who doesn't speak unless he has something worthwhile to say and it usually was at the expense of Tom or Ernesto!

Tom spoke English extremely well but would get so irritated with me when I asked 'WHAT?' or 'QUOI' all the time. He would have to repeat himself and then I would say, 'Aaaaaaah you mean _______!'. Which was exactly what he had said the first time, but with his French accent it sounded like a completely different language!

My days in Kuta began with checking the tide so I could plan my schedule around optimal surf conditions before moving onto breakfast, which consisted of: 1 banana pancake, 2 boiled eggs, 'potato country' (translated: country potatoes) and a fresh unsweetened coconut juice. After that, on my walk down to Kuta Square, I would pick up orphaned frangipani flowers that had fallen from the trees and put one behind my ear as well as save one to give as a Hindu offering when I got to my destination – Gloria Jean's.

The first time I walked into Gloria Jean's, I was immediately greeted with smiling, friendly Balinese faces. I could tell right off the bat that Frank, the Australian owner, was a modern day saint – he greeted me with some friendly chit chat during my stay and I overheard him display the same charm and eloquence with his other customers. It was plain to see his absolute natural ease with people and it was because of him and the coziness I felt there that marked the beginning of my loyalty to GJ's in Kuta.

I went every day possible to work on my laptop and have my espresso and banana cake (which I enjoyed immensely!). Frank and his staff helped me to get my business cards from Hong Kong and called in their IT guy when I was having laptop issues and as if that wasn't enough, my last day before venturing off to NZ, Frank took myself, his manager and I to lunch to see me off:) I now refer to Frank to my own family and friends as my 'Bali Dad' because of the support and congeniality I received when I was there! So if you ever go to Kuta – please pass on some hugs from me.

After my work/coffee session, I went back to my guesthouse to put on my 'swimming costume' as the Brits call it and hit the surf for a couple of hours. I desperately missed my surf sister Marj, but there was always someone from d'Kubu on the beach or in the waves and I never felt like I was out there on my own.

Ernesto elected to teach me a thing or two about surfing which also inadvertently became a French lesson. Ernesto had not spoken any English since high school and now being 33 surrounded by English speakers, was trying to regain what he had lost. So when he told me to 'paddle hard' or 'stand up!' it usually came out in French rather than English and I had to reach deep down into the annals of my mind and pull out what I remembered from Mr. Mareschal's French classes in junior high!

After several days of checking out Kuta Beach, Tom, Julien and Ernesto decided to absorb some Balinese culture and invited me out on a day trip. We rented a driver and car that picked us up in the morning to take us to various temples, rice fields and villages. You would think the traveler in me would be quite excited about all of this but I am ashamed to admit that I was actually quite bored with it all. It wasn't at all the company as I always had a ton of fun with my new Belgian friends but I think after seeing so many wats, monuments, temples, sanctuaries etc, I had had my fill, for the interim at least, because all I could think about was getting myself back on a board and into the salty water....

“His heels are winged, and in them is the swiftness of the sea. In truth, from out of the sea he has leaped upon the back of the sea, and he is riding the sea that roars and bellows and cannot shake him from its back. But no frantic outreaching and balancing is his. He is impassive, motionless as a statue carved suddenly by some miracle out of the sea's depth from which he rose. And straight on toward shore he flies on his winged heels and the white crest of the breaker. There is a wild burst of foam, a long tumultuous rushing sound as the breaker falls futile and spent on the beach at your feet; and there, at your feet steps calmly ashore a Kanaka, burnt golden and brown by the tropic sun...”

Jack London
The Cruise of the Snark
Chapter VI - A Royal Sport

Kuta and Ubud, Bali

A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.

- John Steinbecke



To view photos from Kuta, click here.

To view photos from Ubud, click here.

I got off the plane and lined up in front of the taxi booth in Denpasar airport, Bali. To cut down on the expense, I turned around to see if there was anyone who wanted to share a cab. The girl behind me just happened to be the one and only Marjorie Green! Little did I know that meeting this tall, crazy, kind hearted, fabulous blue-eyed blonde was going to make the rest of my stay in Bali the most unforgettable and fun-filled in Asia yet!

At this point, I had been travelling SE Asia for 4 months and Marj for 2 so we were a touch overwhelmed by the many familiar signs from home: Starbuck’s, McDonald’s, Dolce and Gabbana, Crocs and every surf name in the book – Ripcurl, Billabong, Roxy etc. The cabbie dropped us off on Poppies Lane I. Kuta has two Poppies Lanes (aptly named I and II). This is where a good majority of the guesthouses, restaurants and non-brand name/local shopping is...and just metres from the famous surf beach – Kuta!

We were ecstatic with the amenities at our hotel – New Arena. We shared a double room that had a real bathroom with a door and bathtub and a patio overlooking a garden and swimming pool. This was not at all what I had expected. I knew Bali was a major vacation destination for Australians and had expected that it would be really expensive compared to where I had been. Luckily, I was quite wrong. We stayed in this proper hotel for only $7 each/night. We spent 4 nights there before we started feeling a little like high rollers so I took a jaunt to see what else I could find.

If I had blinked I would have missed this place but luckily for me it caught the corner of my eye – it was called d’Kubu Homestay. This place had a good vibe from the get-go. There was a tiny little courtyard surrounded by 8 guesthouse rooms. Marj and I’s room had 2 single beds with a cold shower for $5/night – splendid! Little did we know that we were going to call d’Kubu home for the next 2 months.

Marj and I got our feet wet in Kuta by trying to resist all the fabulous shopping. I had done really well not to buy much besides food along the way so as not to weigh myself down but this was going to be like trying to keep honey away from a bee! Everything is SO ‘cheap cheap’!

Our first sunset at Kuta Beach was truly spectacular. There are ridiculous amounts of people on the beach at that time – mostly Indonesian. The last thing anyone native to SE Asia wants is a tan so most of them don’t come out in the sun until it is just about to set. Marj and I were enjoying a nice walk down the beach when we were surrounded by gaggles of Balinese teenagers wanting to take pictures with us. Marj was the star of the show – they REALLY dig blonde hair and blue eyes. She might as well have been Cameron Diaz walking down the beach – this is something we just expected after some time but it took some getting used to.

Marj’s friend Dan who she had met earlier on the backpacker trail was coming to Kuta so we went out for dinner with him one evening. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship – translated: the three of us having one hell of a time together. We watched the sunset at Kuta Beach every night we could and met for dinner before going over to Legian street (famous for its clubs) to watch the debauchery at Espresso – a bar overflowing with overserved surfers rocking out to covers of Nirvana and AC/DC.

Once we had our fill of that, we would go to one of the many popular clubs there: Embargo, Sky Garden or the legendary Bounty.

Since developing my mega allergy to alcohol (it has now been over 3 years since I have purposely had an alcoholic beverage due to a harsh reaction from even one drop of alcohol!) it has been hard for me to adjust to going out without being able to imbibe a little. It has been a long road of lifestyle adjustment but Kuta really helped that along. I was surrounded by people in Kuta drinking alcohol almost non-stop. It got to a point where I didn’t even notice I was the only one not drinking, which was a really good thing as I normally feel like a pariah.

The first nights out dancing at the Bounty were a bit awkward for me at first seeing as EVERYONE in that place can barely see straight from all the cheap drinks. The fabulous thing about not being able to drink is staying out dancing til dawn and waking up fresh as a flower to go surfing for the rest of the day. And so this eventually became our routine. Dance til the wee hours of the night, sleep all morning, head over to Macaroni for the lunch special and email checking and over to the beach to surf. Sunset usually came along shortly after that – then dinner, dancing – REPEAT! All of this costing – including accommodation – about $8/day

I had thought I would stay in Bali for a couple weeks at the most. I had been so tired and was keen to get to New Zealand to see Tash already! But meeting Marj altered this course drastically. Having much of the same interests – especially our passion for surfing – bonded us together like sisters. We caught waves together, danced together, fought off googly eyed overzealous suitors together, but most of the time was filled with laughter. When one is having the time of their life one finds it hard not to find everything hilariously, deliciously humorous! The littlest thing could happen and Marj and I giggled over it for days.

After a couple of weeks in Kuta, we decided it was time for a little change of pace. I had wanted to go up to Ubud after reading the ‘Love’ portion of ‘Eat, Pray. Love’. I had planned to go and see Wayan the Healer and Ketut the Medicine Man and do some yoga and cleansing to get my neck and back realigned and my game on for tackling bigger waves.

Instead, Marj and I shopped (mostly without buying anything save for a great deal on a couple of silk dresses!), made some jewellery, went to the monkey sanctuary (where I was attacked and came within inches of my life!), and sat on the front porch of our guesthouse enjoying our free breakfast and tea while playing with the floppy haired wild rabbit half the day and/or drinking coffee at one of the many cozy little restaurants. After 5 days in Ubud sans surf and dancing we decided it was time to return to Kuta, but not before paying a visit to Wayan and Ketut.

Marj and I had the full meal deal at Wayan’s Traditional Balinese Healing Shop. She was exactly as I pictured her from the description in the book. Of course now since her shop has been featured on Oprah and talked about by virtually every women in North America infatuated with travel, adventure and happy endings (after reading Eat, Pray, Love), her price had gone up drastically. As with everything in Asia, with a little negotiating we managed to get a price we were all very comfortable with.

So Marj and I spent most of the entire next day getting massaged, drinking herbs and juices, receiving a body reading and finally the ever popular vitamin lunch to end the 5 hours we spent getting pampered there.

You’d think the two of us would be feeling fabulous after that but we both ended up getting sick and in the end we blamed all the herbs she was giving us on empty stomachs:(

The next day, we visited Ketut the Medicine Man! We had been told by some ladies we met at Wayan’s that there was a 3 hour wait to see him but we thought we’d take a chance anyway. To our delight, Ketut was chilling on his front step – exactly the way Elizabeth Gilbert found him in the book. We spent a good hour chatting with him. He read my palm and kept saying what a ‘good girl’ I was. According to Ketut, I will have one deep love in my life and 2 kids. I am also going to be bankrupt, but only for 25 days and after that a successful photographer. Oh and I am going to live to 102, so I have lots of time for all of this.

So I didn’t get to my yoga or cleansing but I figured with the amount of dancing we would do every night, not to mention the surfing all day would make up for what I missed out on yoga in Ubud. Totally justifiable I think - and so back to Kuta we went!

Kuala Lumpur and Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

The blue whale is the largest animal on our planet ever (exceeding the size of the greatest known dinosaurs) and has a heart the size of a Volkswagen.

Each year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world's oceans as the weight of fish caught.

http://marinebio।org/MarineBio/Facts/

See photos from Kuala Lumpur here.

See photos from the Perhentian Islands here.

It took me about 2 hours from when I landed at KL airport to get to my guest house in Little India via bus, subway and on foot. I remember thinking on my walk that I didn’t want to do it anymore – I felt like the weight of my backpack, laptop and camera bags pulling on my neck muscles would cause my head to just topple right off. Hours sitting in front of my laptop the past couple of years sans an ergonomically correct position had taken its toll long before I left, but I had hoped being less sedentary would have improved this situation....Kuala Lumpur MISSION: Find backpack WITH wheels!

The streets of Little India are crowded with mostly men having seemingly nothing else to do but stare at western women walking by (can you tell I was a bit weary at this point?). I was getting quite used to people staring by now but when you are in a mess of heat, pollution and noise, not to mention being called to, as if you were a cat or dog, one can get a teensy bit irritated.

I went to a gigantic mall in search of a backpack that would add some resolve to my back issues and allow me to keep travelling. I found one for 180 Ringitts ($56 CDN) – oh how I love Asia when it comes to shopping! I decided I needed comfort food, so I bought a ticket to the new Indian Jones movie just so I could eat popcorn! I had 45 minutes to kill, so I grabbed a bite nearby. When I got into the theatre, the movie had already started which I thought was strange being 5 minutes early. When I finally figured out that the movie had been playing for quite some time, I realized I had been in Malaysia for 3 days and had no idea I was in a new time zone – ah the beauty of not needing to know what time or day it is. Better I found out this way as opposed to when I had to catch my flight to the Perhentian Islands the next day.

Upon arrival in Kota Bharu (a pit stop on the way to the Perhentians), I happened upon a couple (seemingly becoming a trend) in the airport who were looking for a 3^rd person to split a cab with. We piled ourselves and our backpacks into the car for an unexpected, wild ride to the jetty. You’d think this guy was trying to get his pregnant wife to the hospital! Close calls with goats and other vehicles at high speed and intermittent sudden brakes were virtually ignored by the 3 of us, who were too enmeshed in our conversation to notice how endangered our lives were! Rosie and Duncan, from Bristol in the UK, work in television and were on their way to Australia where they planned to live for awhile.

The highlight was when our cabbie was kind enough to unroll his window after very obviously breaking wind. I looked at Duncan who swallowed his laughter and turned to gaze out the window. Rosie and I kept talking whilst trying not to laugh or breathe in the malodorous air. We got to the jetty and hopped on a boat of you guessed it – ALL couples!

I wasn’t exactly blown away by the beauty of Kecil – the small island, or better known as the ‘backpacker’ island. The beach consisted of ramshackle restaurants and as we would learn later, sub-standard over priced accommodation. We walked around looking for a place and settled on Panorama mainly because it included dinner. It was 75 Ringitts ($25) a night for a place that had shoddy window locks, cockroaches, no hot water and holes in the mosquito nets – a far cry from the $5/night guest houses I was used to in Laos. I had read that theft was a big problem there and many a traveller had woken up to someone crawling through their window at night, so it was nice to know that I had Rosie and Duncan in the bungalow beside me.

The next morning, we decided to hit Besar – the big island or more commonly known as the ‘couples’ or ‘family’ island. This was a better move – the beaches and bungalows were much nicer and carried a lot more bang for our buck. We spent the afternoon eating banana cake and drinking tea tarik (like masala chai). I have been lucky to meet some really cool couples along the way and Rosie and Duncan were no exception.

I saw a sign for a Reef Talk session being held at Watercolours Dive Resort to educate the public on the importance of keeping the coral reef healthy. Reef Talk is a free presentation given to anyone who is interested in conservation issues and the state of our coral reefs. Overfishing, coastal development and pollution are three of the biggest threats to coral reefs as well as the global aquarium trade, dynamite fishing and climate change, to name just a few.

At the end of the Reef Talk, they mentioned that they would be doing a beach clean up the next day. I had been searching for something like this to do on my travels so I could leave the places I visited in a better state than when I arrived.

Myself and 3 couples met with Peter Caron the next day to take a boat to a nearby beach. Peter and his wife Anke run Watercolours Dive Resort and are very informed. They are a prime example of people practicing what they preach by doing whatever they can to spread the word about conservations issues; thereby, improving the world we live in. I was impressed with their ‘Love the Shark Not the Soup’ t-shirts, as this extremely important issue is not very well known amongst the general public (see my previous blog on shark finning).

Shark fins are obtained by a process called ‘finning’ - fishing the shark out of the sea, cutting all 4 of its fins off and throwing the rest of the shark, still alive, back into the ocean. Without its fins, the shark is unable to move, sinks to the ocean floor and either bleeds to death, suffocates from lack of oxygen (gained only by swimming) or is eventually eaten, defenceless, by other predators….

We headed to Tuluk Kekek where we found out halfway through the clean-up that another group had been there picking up garbage the previous day. You would never know it by the amount of rubbish we collected. When the locals saw what we were doing, it didn’t take long for them to come along and join us. For the most part, it is the locals who do the littering due to lack of education on environmental issues. We found ALL kinds of garbage from diapers to boat engines to straws and plastic bags. I can’t help but wonder how different the world would be, environmentally, without the invention of plastic. I had mentioned in an earlier blog that there is estimated to be 46,000 floating plastic pieces per square mile of ocean, according to a 2006 UN Study.

After we filled up every last garbage bag, I went along with Pete to take photos of the platforms located offshore that were overflowing with garbage bags. He wanted to send the photos into the authorities so they could see that there has to be another alternative to storing the garbage. If it all just falls back into the ocean, there is not much point to the beach clean-ups.

Watercolours joined up with Reef Check and Wild Asia to enforce a Sustainable Islands Programme. While I was on the island, a group of divers from Kuala Lumpur came to survey the health of the coral reef and I was lucky enough to meet them and take photographs for Pete’s blog. The data they gather is used to educate the public and raise awareness about the decline of the reefs.

Watercolours is also one of the first facilities in Malaysia to offer an Eco-Diver Course in association with Reef Talk where divers can learn how to participate in monitoring surveys and conservation.


View footage of Reef Check Surveys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkCyyFEIow8

My trip to the Perhentians would not be complete without going for a scuba dive myself! I likened it a little to surfing in that you forget about all of the scary things in the ocean once you become enmeshed in the beauty surrounding you. It’s a strange thing breathing underwater and takes some getting used to. My favourite part was swimming over top of the fish as they turned to give me the ‘ol fish eye! I felt like I was part of their world for a moment and felt such compassion for the ocean and all its inhabitants. Visit the Reef Check and Wild Asia links to learn more about what you can do to help sustain our oceans.

Sign the Declaration of Reef Rights here: http://www.reefcheck.org/petition/petition.php

My last night on the islands, I was getting ready for bed and noticed a spider on my bedspread. Ladies and gentlemen, this was no ordinary spider. It was big and brown and thick and FAST! I didn’t have any tools to work with to safely contain the beast and transport it out of my room so I called for back-up.

Rosie and Duncan came over with their spider removal device or SRD for short (a water bottle cut in half) but as soon as Rosie came near the spider, it crawled over and underneath the bed. So we lifted up the mattress and put it against the wall. We then discovered that there were holes in the liner and it was probably hiding inside. This gave me NO comfort as all I could think about was it crawling out in the middle of the night to creep all over me while I sleep (I know I’m a pansy)! Luckily for me, Rosie and Duncan volunteered their mosquito net so I could cocoon myself in from the fierce creature.

Moments later, I noticed a gargantuan cockroach crawl to Rosie’s feet. I screamed. Rosie screamed. The cockroach ran behind the dresser. We pulled the dresser out and it started to run for cover when Duncan trapped it with the trusty SRD. The SRD involuntarily turned into the CBM – Cockroach Beheading Machine. He didn’t quite get all of the cockroach’s body inside the circumference of the water bottle so the head was sticking out and STILL moving! Duncan and the cockroach went outside for what seemed like several minutes. When he returned, we asked if he had killed it to which he replied, ‘What happened out there is between me and the cockroach.’ Duncan and Rosie from the UK – my heroes!

I overnighted in Kota Bharu the next day and flew back to KL briefly before departing for my last stop in Asia - Kuta, Bali – having no idea that the best time of my life was waiting for me there.

“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed, and is, thereby, a true manifestation of what one feels about life in its entirety...”

- Ansel Adams

Vang Vieng and Vientiane

All experience is an arch wherethrough gleams that untravelled world whose margin fades for ever and for ever when I move.

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

View photos from Vang Vieng here.

View photos from Vientiane here.

There are no words to describe the bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. I had never seen landscape like this before. I kept the window wide open taking in the warm wind and smorgasbord of scenery. Andrea, a girl I met on the bus from Germany, and I found a guesthouse, a footbridge away from Vang Vieng when we arrived. It was a peaceful little place in a lovely garden setting. After we settled into our new room, we walked back into town to check things out. Vang Vieng is made up mainly of restaurants serving western food and airing episodes of Friends over and over and over again. It is a surreal place. We met up with some girls from Quebec at one of the restaurants. It was nice but it didn't feel right watching TV surrounded by westerners in a developing country.

Vang Vieng is where most people go for tubing - it sounded super fun but I had not yet tried rock climbing and had been mesmerized by the beauty of the mountains and decided it was high time to conquer one.

The next morning, I met my rock climbing comrades: James – an English bloke about my age who was fresh from several months of traveling in India and still gung ho to do more (his next plan was to rent a boat, buy a tent and head down the Mekong!)। The couple – Vicky and Oron (or at least that’s what I thought I heard) were from Israel and on their way to North India. I was a little bit nervous, especially since I am not Miss Sporty and my companions looked like they’d climbed a mountain or two in the past.

The first climb was awesome but not without moments of ‘GET ME DOWN!’, ‘I am NEVER doing this again!’, and ‘What the hell was I thinking?’ A line kept repeating in my head from Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac, ‘When you get to the top of a mountain, keep climbing.’ But really, my favourite part was coming down the mountain - abseiling – the closest I have been to flying yet! In the middle of all of this we had a little mountain side bbq of vegetables, rice and fish skewers served on a banana leaf! Deeee-lish!

The 2^nd climb was a little bit harder and the 3^rd, there was a point where I couldn’t feel my arms and couldn’t quite get used to the fact that if I did let go, the ropes and the guide below would keep me from falling. By the fourth climb, it had started to rain quite heavily and we were on the most difficult climb of the day. Not knowing where to put your foot next can be very disconcerting, but not being able to hear your guide over the rain as to where to head and realizing he means right when he says left (love that language barrier) made it that much more fun! Luckily for me, he yelled at me to come down because of the rain which was right about the time that I was ready to give up and I didn’t have to disappoint my fellow rock climbers by not making it all the way up!J Our descent was even more dangerous than the rock climbing itself. The terrain was made up of jagged rocks covered in slimy dirt that was exceptionally slippery. Nevermind that the decline had to be made almost entirely on all 4s!

I got back to my guesthouse completely knackered, sweaty and covered with red dirt in a euphoric stupor! I had rock climbed finally – and in Laos of all places।

My plans to kayak to Vientiane the next day went out the window (due to my muscles feeling like jello) and opted for a bus ride to Vientiane instead।

I found a place in Vientiane called, Joe’s Guesthouse, recommended for solo women travellers in Lonely Planet. And what a fab choice it was! I felt totally safe there the entire time and it was right in the heart of Vientiane along the river. I decided that this was a good place to back up all of my photos onto DVD and send them onwards to New Zealand. I spent a full week there and had some much needed Tracey Time. I was happy to take pictures, get lost on long walks, spend quality time with my laptop and just stay put for awhile.

Cait and Ada (who I had met in Thailand) recommended that I go to a Forest Wat on the edge of town to get a cheap but quality Laos massage. So I took a tuk tuk there one afternoon and was treated to the best massage since Thailand in an open air hut. She was one of those people BORN to give massages – it was great! I am not looking forward to getting back to the land of $75 massages, for this one cost me only $3 and included a herbal steam. I then walked over to a nearby wat to participate in a guided meditation with monks. About 7 more people came and we waited and waited. Finally, one of the monks said the translator wasn’t coming and then told us to START. 1, 2, 3 MEDITATE! So it wasn’t exactly ‘guided’ but was cool to be meditating with monks in a wat. You could hear them chanting in a temple nearby – tres, tres awesome Saturday afternoon!

It took me a full 5 days for my muscles to recover from rock climbing which also made me very weary। Carrying my backpack, camera and computer equipment were wreaking havoc on my neck and back, to a point where I was tempted to fly straight to NZ from Vientiane. I had planned to go through Bangkok but found a deal with Air Asia to fly directly to Malaysia from Vientiane for $80 CDN, and 3 days later, I was on a plane bound for Kuala Lumpur.

Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.

- Benjamin Disraeli

Northern Laos and Return to Luang Prabang

"Own only what you can carry with you; Let your memory be your travel bag."

- Alexander Solzhenitsyn


TO VIEW LUANG PRABANG PHOTOS, CLICK BELOW:

Photos Part I

Photos Part II

Andrea, Dave and I made our way to Nong Kiaow, about 2 hours north of Luang Prabang on a local mini-bus looking for something a little more backwoods Laos - and we definitely got it here!


We found 2 bungalows nestled into a bank along the Nam Ou River with private squatting toilet (a definite luxury), balcony (with a hammock) and a million dollar view of the limestone covered mountains, for just 45,000 kip/night (about $5 CDN). I went for a jaunt into the main centre of town to take some pics. It was obvious this town was not as accustomed to travelers coming through - even just raising my camera made everyone scatter like marbles hitting a wood floor. As per usual, it was the children who were the most engaging and eager to communicate.

We found a restaurant that looked to have a pretty good menu but continued down the street to see what else was available. We found another restaurant with the exact same menu but about 25% cheaper! This is Asia (T.I.A.) - no point in asking why. We got to know the couple that owned the restaurant quite well and we were lucky enough to see a traditional Lao song and dance from their little girl while their little boy shot at us with a toy gun. They had a cat called ‘Mow’ (rhymes with ‘wow’), which I thought was sweet at first because cats and dogs don't usually have names or treated as pets. I found out later in my travels that virtually every cat’s name in Laos, is ‘Mow’.

One morning, while having breakfast, an elderly lady leisurely strolled by the restaurant on her bicycle with a freshly chopped water buffalo’s head! It was quite a sight, especially with that unique water buffalo grin still intact on its face. After breakfast, we walked down the street a little and found 2 children thoroughly butchering previously seen water buffalo’s head. They were using every last bit of that head for something – not wasting a thing. The girl was quite amused by our apparent looks of disgust and decided to play it up for the cameras and make googly eyes with the water buffalo’s eyeballs...just lovely!

We walked to nearby Tham Pha Tok caves, which was where the entire town hid during the Indo China War in the 1960s-1970s. It blew me away to see that they had an art unit and a bank amongst other very normal things you would see in a little town – but it was all ran within the confines of the caves.

After a couple days of eating, caving and more eating – we took a one hour boat ride north, complete with beautiful views, postcard scenes with little kids running amock, fishing, swimming and waving at our boat. Among the locals in transit with us was a little boy with a chicken in a basket. I of course had to desensitize myself several times – animals are merely food in most of SE Asia and up to this point I had seen very little affection exhibited from Laotians towards an animal. But this little boy actually was comforting the chicken (I think) by putting his fingers through the holes of the basket and giving him some gentle scratches. It warmed the heart a little.


We arrived at our port – Muang Ngoi – a quintessential Laos village. Chickens, cows, goats, pigs, dogs, ducks and cats milling about amongst snickering children running through the red dirt streets. We bumped into a guy staying at my guesthouse who said there was a lady in the village rumoured to be 112. Just minutes later we saw her walk by.....if she isn't 112, well she definitely looks it!

That night we went to a place called, ‘Mama’s’ overlooking the river. It was a typical SE Asian restaurant, nothing fancy but definitely cozy with hammocks and cushions. We had met some people on the boat and at our guesthouse and ended up having a lovely dinner party. The food and conversation was great but the bugs all over the food, table and us, I could have done without. I couldn’t eat my sticky rice for all the flies and ants landing on it. It was one of those moments when I missed the west just a little.

In Muang Ngoi, the generators are only turned on for a couple of hours every evening. When I left my bungalow, my light switch must have been left on because when I arrived back, it had attracted all kind of friendly insects in all different shapes and sizes. I thought ok – I'll just turn the patio light on and open the door so they can clear out while I put my mosquito net down and all will be well!

Just as soon as the flicker of my bright idea ignited, the lights went out. I had forgotten that the generators are turned off at 10 so my next move was to get my flashlight out of my backpack, which just happened to be in a compartment secured by a combination padlock. This would be fine, if I could SEE! OK think Tracey – light source ... need a light source! Aha! My laptop – I knew that thing would come in handy on the backpacker trail! I set it on the patio hoping that some of the creepy crawlies would line up like good little soldiers and march towards the light...wishful thinking. I then spent the next 15 minutes sweeping off my bed and shaking out the sheets so I could shield myself under the confines of my mozzy net. The whole process of removing the bugs and getting ready for bed took a good hour with no light and by the time I secured myself under the net - I was sweating and exhausted but quite content. After almost eating bugs for dinner, I was in no mood to sleep with them too!

I also had a roommate living in my bathroom – an inchworm! I had only been exposed ti them as funny characters in cartoons and had not actually seen one live. It was protruding straight out from the wall wiggling around like a blind man's arm trying to find his cane when I first noticed him. He was quite a little slow mover but extremely entertaining to watch and a much better roomie to have vs. the bat in my bungalow the previous evening.

We left Muang Ngoi by boat back to Nong Kiaow to catch a sawngthaw back to Luang Prabang. I was excited to get back to so called civilization – which really just meant erratic electricity and inconsistent, cold running water . Not having these things, even for a short time, definitely makes one appreciate it so much more. The week before in Hanoi, I past a teenaged boy on the street who said, ‘I wish I was you’ as I walked past. Just being born in Canada gives me a serious leg up over so much of the rest of the world and I intend to take full advantage of what has been given to me – freedom to travel, being one of them!

Our open air truck (sawngthaw) was filled with locals, backpackers and a chicken – there always seems to be a token chicken when traveling with the locals. Watching Laos life pass by was really cool and interesting the first hour, but by the third, it had started to rain and I could hardly feel my bum anymore. We were quite grateful when we got back ‘home’ to our guesthouse where we were yet again warmly welcomed by our adopted family.

Andrea and I went for dinner that night and talked literature, photography and jewellery design over Indian. I just love that girl - one of the most thoughtful and kind people I have known. Her and Dave changed the course of my voyage for the best and made my experience in Northern Laos magical and memorable. I felt like I was traveling with old friends. Both of them are extremely talented and I know I will be able to say ‘I knew them when’ someday. Dave’s paintings can be seen here: www.davebeazley.com.

Dave and Andrea departed for the Plain of Jars and I stayed in Luang Prabang to take in a little bit more of her charm before boarding a bus to the next destination – a little town called Vang Vieng, or more accurately – the Twilight Zone?! Doo doo dee doo doo doo dee doo!


The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them.

- Amelia E. Barr